Elsie Displayed at Antique Fire Truck Muster in Elkton
By Secretary Bill Wohl
August 25, 2019
West Grove Fire Company's Antique 22, also known as Elsie, was a featured display at a gathering of antique fire trucks held this weekend at Singerly Fire Company of Elkton, Maryland.
This first event in Elkton, that is planned to be held annually, was conducted by Singerly in partnership with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the National Fire Heritage Center, and drew 25 antique apparatus ranging in age from the late 1800s up to and including older apparatus still in service today. Units from as far as Tennessee and Michigan participated in events that included a public display in Elkton's downtown on Friday evening and a display and judging session all day on Saturday.
Antiques came in all shapes, sizes and types, from hand-drawn apparatus in the Elkton Fire Museum, to chief's cars, fire police vehicles, snorkels, brush trucks and pumpers of all ages and sizes.
The WGFC participated with Elsie, WGFC's prized 1928 Hale Pumper, which drew rave reviews from attendees, and earned the top Judges Award, presented by former Congressman Curt Weldon of Delaware County, PA.
Units:
Antique 22
WGFC members show off the Judges Award alongside Elsie -- Charles Foy, Sr., Craig Miller, Zach Felker and Bill Wohl
The detailed work on the hood of a truck from Frederica, Delaware
A vintage Chief's Car
A beautiful Reo Pumper from the 1930s (Frederica, Delaware)
A very rare Austin Gipsy from the UK
The detail on this Reo was impressive
An old pumper
An antique ambulance
All kinds of older apparatus were displayed
The antique pumper from New Castle, Delaware is always a "show-stopper"
The antique ambulance
The detailed wheels on the New Castle, DE antique
This 1910 pumper from West Haven, CT
A vintage pumper formerly in service in Newark, DE
WGFC's Elsie (Antique 22) is on display at an Antique Fire Apparatus Muster held at the Singerly Fire Company of Elkton, MD in partnership with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the National Fire Heritage Center.
This shot of Antique 22 was taken by photographer Andrew Sullivan on arrival at the event.